


When In Doubt, Game Night!

by yarnandtea



Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types
Genre: AU, Dragon Age II - Freeform, Dragon Age Reverse Big Bang, M/M, Modern Kirkwall, video games - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-03
Updated: 2013-08-03
Packaged: 2017-12-22 06:51:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/910213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yarnandtea/pseuds/yarnandtea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The best thing about working at Kirkwall Games, as far as Garrett Hawke is concerned, is getting to talk with his favorite customer on a regular basis. But he can't deny he'd love the chance to get to know Fenris a little bit better than their weekly chats in the store allow. So, game night? Game night!</p>
            </blockquote>





	When In Doubt, Game Night!

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Friday is Game Night!](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/25563) by amaranthined. 



> Written for the 2013 Dragon Age Reverse Big Bang. Modern Kirkwall AU. I was hankering to write some fun and fluff, and when I saw the description of Zae's amazing art, I knew it was the piece I wanted. I am so fortunate to have been able to write this story. I had a ton of fun with it. I hope you enjoy reading it even half as much!
> 
> Thank you so much to Zae (amaranthined on tumblr) for making this lovely art and letting me write for it!
> 
> Thanks also go out to ladyamesindy for, as always, being an amazing beta.

Garrett sighed to himself as he shuffled the games on the shelf back into their proper order. Why could customers never manage to put things back where they got them from once they decided not to buy? How hard was that really? He deliberately ignored the tiny voice in the back of his mind trying to point out that before he started working at Kirkwall Games, he had _never_ put anything back where he had found it.

A quick glance at the dragon-shaped clock hanging behind the counter (a promotional item the store had received for the launch of some swords and sorcery RPG that he couldn't even remember the name of) showed that there were only twenty minutes left in his shift. Garrett bit his lower lip, worrying at it with his teeth. On the one hand, business had been dead as a doornail all day and he was past ready to go home. On the other hand though, it was Sunday. Sundays were usually Garrett's favorite day to work, because not only did the mall close early (which meant shorter shifts all around), but that was the day his favorite customer came to the store. Every Sunday for the past six months, he had shown up at the same time without fail. But so far today, he had yet to put in an appearance.

_Maybe he's not coming today. Something could have come up. He's usually been in by now, after all..._

As if summoned by the thought, said customer barreled in through the door, a scowl darkening his handsome face.

"Fenris!" Garrett didn't have to fake an enthusiastic greeting at all. He grinned (hopefully not too foolishly) at the new arrival. "I was starting to think you weren't coming in today."

The scowl softened a bit as Fenris nodded in greeting to him, but then returned in full force.

"My instructor was out sick today, and his substitute was half an hour late. Also, incompetent." The scowl deepened.

"Instructor?" Garrett tried to keep the question casual, but he was thrilled at the chance to find out more about Fenris.

He turned away to hide his eagerness, walking back toward the counter to retrieve the new games Fenris had reserved. Fenris headed for the counter as well, not bothering to look around the rest of the store. Sometimes he had games waiting, sometimes he just browsed, while on other visits he returned something he'd played already or bought something that caught his eye. Garrett liked trying to figure out what the games he bought and returned (as well as the games he _didn't_ return) said about him. But to have actual information straight from the source was even better.

"Ah, karate." Fenris rubbed the back of his neck and looked down at his feet. "I take a class over at the gym."

He waved vaguely at the other end of the mall. A twenty-four hour gym had moved in when one of the department stores had gone out of business. They had spent months converting the space and Garrett had found it all a dreadful inconvenience. Suddenly he was rethinking that stance. It couldn't be all bad, after all, if that was how Fenris had ended up becoming a regular customer at this particular Kirkwall Games store.

"Really? That sounds fun." Garrett set Fenris' games on the counter.

"Yeah, I guess. I mean, I like it."

Fenris finally glanced idly around at the games on display, but Garrett could tell he wasn't in the mood for browsing. He already had his credit card out, barely glancing at the games that sat next to the register. Garrett bit his lip, trying to think of some way to get Fenris to linger a little longer. Unbidden, his roommate's advice floated to the front of his mind.

_Maker, Hawke. If you like the guy so much, just ask him out already. Stop mooning at him and being creepy about it._

Garrett didn't think he was being creepy _or_ mooning. But...Anders might have a point about asking Fenris out. Still, he didn't want to mess it up and risk scaring Fenris away forever. What would be the best way to do it? He glanced down at the games on the counter and an idea began to form.

"You know, I, erm, I was thinking of starting up a game night at my place."

Fenris tilted his head, curious.

"Oh?"

"Um, yeah. Anyway, it's this Friday. If you had any interest you'd be more than welcome..."

Fenris did not seem appalled at the suggestion. That was a good sign, right?

"Oooh! You're having a game night, Hawke? I'm invited, aren't I?"

Garrett blinked as Isabela sauntered up to them. He hadn't even noticed her enter the store, he'd been so intent on Fenris. She still wore her uniform for the coffee shop a level down. He guessed she was on her break. Before he could think of a reason for Isabela not to come to his "game night" she hopped up on the counter, drawing a small smile from Fenris.

"Isabela! You _know_ you're not supposed to sit up here!" He pushed at her back to get her to slide down. "Bran has the next shift, he'll be here any minute! If he sees you he'll write me up."

"Oh fine." Isabela pouted and jumped back down, turning to Fenris and sliding an arm through one of his. " _You_ haven't been in for your espresso yet. I was wondering where you'd gotten to."

"I'm a bit behind schedule today," Fenris answered dryly. Garrett watched the exchange with narrowed eyes.

"I didn't realize you two knew each other," he said lightly.

"Your store isn't the only one in the mall that Fenris is a regular at, you know." Isabela winked at him. She turned back to Fenris as he handed his card over to Garrett. "Will you be at game night? Say you will! It will be a blast, I'm sure!" She glanced back at Garrett. "What time, Hawke? I can bring my roommate, right? She never gets out of the apartment unless I drag her somewhere. She needs to socialize more."

Fenris loosed an amused chuckle as Garrett blinked in bewilderment. How did his not-date with Fenris turn into socializing with Isabela and her shy roommate?

"Er..." He handed Fenris his card back and bagged up his games. "Seven?"

"Perfect!" Isabela crowed.

"I'll need your address," Fenris said softly. Glad that at least _one_ thing had gone right, he hastily scribbled his address on the back of Fenris' receipt. Fenris looked it over and nodded. "I'll see you Friday then."

"Me too, sweet thing!" Isabela chimed. "Well, I'm sure I'll see you before then, but you know what I mean." She turned to Fenris and began pulling him out of the store. "Come on, my break's almost over, and you need some caffeine."

Garrett stared after them, feeling slightly like he'd just met the business end of a steamroller. Crap. He was going to have to clean his house. _And_ convince Anders to keep it that way until after Friday. Still. He was finally going to get to see Fenris outside of the store. All things considered, that was the best outcome he could ask for. He hummed to himself as he went back to straightening up the shelves, waiting for Bran to show up. He also found himself hoping he did see Isabela before Friday. He had some questions to ask her about their mutual acquaintance.

~~

Garrett spent his entire drive home rehearsing how he would break the news to Anders that they were having a party on Friday. So of course, when he got home, Anders was nowhere to be found.

"Figures," he muttered to himself as he unpacked the dishes from his lunch and rinsed them out before loading them into the dishwasher. "Probably at the library," he mused aloud, wandering down to the basement of the townhouse he and Anders rented together. Anders was working on his masters in political science and, with the semester almost over, he spent more time in the library than he did in classes these days.

 _Which apparently means he thinks he's exempt from cleaning_. Garret looked around the messy basement in dismay. From where he stood he could see at least six, _six!_ , open potato chip bags. The comic book storage had overflowed and stray comics littered the floor around it. He made a mental note to weed out the things he wanted to sell and take them in on his day off. Games and controllers were piled up in little fortresses around the television stand, and half the cushions on the couch were askew. He thought about checking on the bathroom tucked underneath the stairs and then thought better of it. _Time enough for that before Friday._

"Right," he said to the empty room, clapping his hands together for emphasis. "Have to start somewhere," he added as he began collecting up the bags of chips.

At least it was mostly just clutter, and not actual filth. Pick things up, do a little bit of organizing, vacuum, take out the trash-- _how long has it been since we emptied this can, anyway?_ \--it would be good as new. Well, almost. He eyed the couch critically as he straightened its cushions. _Maybe some Febreeze, too._ He took a deep whiff, wrinkling his nose. _Definitely some Febreeze. Also, air freshener._ Garrett worked steadily until everything was picked up and more or less back in its place. He surveyed the room again, feeling that it looked much better already. He'd save the actual cleaning for Thursday and maybe just lock Anders out of the basement between then and the party.

"It will be just my luck if we don't even _see_ each other before Friday night," he grumbled. Feeling simultaneously relieved and guilty for taking the easy way out, he pulled out his phone and texted Anders. "Having some people over Friday night, game night. 7pm."

"Yeah, whatever. Remind me later this week," came the reply after a few minutes.

Garrett shrugged and moved over to the dry erase board next to the bookcase. It wouldn't hurt to write it down for Anders to see, just in case. When one or the other of them got busy, they usually left each other notes on the board just to make sure the other got it. After all, both of them always ended up in the basement at some point when they were home. It was where they kept all of the fun stuff.

Sometimes the messages turned into passive aggressive little battles though. For example, "Who broke the spare controllers?" was currently written across the board in large bold print. Anders still hadn't admitted to doing that, Garrett remembered with a grimace. He knew that _he_ certainly hadn't been the one to break them. He started to erase the message and then hesitated. If he did, Anders might use that to claim that Garrett had finally accepted responsibility, and then _he_ would have to be the one to pay for replacing them. Well, he already had replaced them. But Anders still needed to pay him back, and Garrett wasn't about to let him weasel out of it. No, that wouldn't do at all.

So instead, Garrett just added "Friday is GAME NIGHT" across the remaining space on the board. The image of Fenris popped into his mind and he grinned, adding a few stars and flourishes around the words to emphasize them. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all. Isabela was cool most of the time, and he was sure her roommate couldn't be too bad. Isabela had a low tolerance for idiots.

Isabela, her roommate, _maybe_ Anders, and Fenris. Yeah, that wouldn't be too bad at all.

Grinning, Garrett whistled a little tune to himself as he took the stairs two at a time back to the first floor, already making lists in his head of the things he needed to do to get ready for Friday night.

~~

"So, is this you making your move on Fenris, then?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Garrett stared down at his plate in an attempt to hide the warm flush spreading across his cheeks. Isabela laughed in that deep throaty chuckle of hers and he knew she had seen it anyway.

"Right."

Garrett huffed and rolled his eyes. Then he looked up and pinned her with a glare.

"If you _knew_ that's what I was doing, then why in the Maker's name did you invite yourself along?"

"Oh sweet thing, you are adorable."

"Isabela."

"Look, if you'd asked him out for coffee, or to a movie, I would have kept my mouth shut. But you said 'game night.' What exactly was our dear Fenris going to think when he showed up for game night and he was the only invited guest?"

"I...hadn't thought that far ahead actually." Garrett's face was flushed again. He shrugged and then stilled as something Isabela had said hit him. "Wait a minute. _Our_ Fenris? Tell me you and he haven't--"

"Maker, no!"

Isabela laughed again and Garrett relaxed. She grinned at him and he couldn't help but smile back. He had long ago realized it was all but impossible to stay mad at Isabela.

"Believe me, it's not for lack of trying though," she sighed. "But I suspect dear Fenris is immune to my charms." Garrett grunted at that and she allowed a sly grin. "No, you're right. No one is fully immune to my charms. But he isn't all that interested in doing anything more than talking with me." She shrugged. "I've learned to accept when something is out of my reach. It's not like I have a lack of suitable distractions, after all."

"Do you think he might be into," Garrett coughed, "well, me?"

"Oh sweet thing." Isabela's smile was slow and sweet this time, reassuring and kind. She reached out and patted his wrist. "I would bet good money that he is."

Garrett took a deep sip of his coffee, trying to hide the grin that spread across his face at that. He felt a little light-headed. Giddy, even. He suspected he looked quite foolish at the moment but didn't have it in him to care. Isabela was usually spot on in her assessments about such matters. If she thought Fenris was interested, then chances were this whole party idea wasn't as stupid as he had been starting to think. He had almost declined when Isabela asked him to lunch, still irritated at her for inviting herself along and more than a little worried that she had designs on Fenris herself. Now he was glad he had taken her up on it.

"So," he said, clearing his throat. "What kind of dirt do you have on him? Seeing as how you two seem so close and all."

"Not as much as you would like," Isabela answered with a wink. "He's pretty quiet. Keeps to himself. I know he likes to read. A _lot_. Pretty sure he's a student at the university." She shrugged once more. "Really that's it. Anything else would be pure speculation."

There was a mischievous glint in her eyes and Garrett leaned forward in interest. Isabela's speculations were usually pretty damn accurate. She had a knack for reading people.

"By all means, Isa, speculate on."

Warm laughter greeted his words.

~~

Time seemed to do that strange warping thing it does when something big is coming up. The first few days dragged into an eternity and then suddenly the last few rushed by so quickly that Friday arrived to find Garrett feeling very much unprepared for the coming evening. Still, everything was in place. The pizza was ordered, the house was as clean as it could be, the games were all organized in a hopefully appealing display (working at a game shop had to pay off somehow, right?) and Anders was...surprisingly present, actually.

"So, who all's coming to this thing, anyway?" He plopped down on the couch and rifled through the party games that Garrett had set out in anticipation of the evening's stated purpose.

"Um, not many people. Isabela and her roommate, and, um," he rubbed the back of his neck and looked away, refusing to meet Anders' eyes, "that guy from the store." The last words came out all in a mumble. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Anders smirk.

"The customer you've been crushing on? So _that's_ what this is all about." He laughed and shook his head.

"Um, sort of, yeah." He saw Anders pick out a game and pop it into a console. "Are you sticking around, then?"

"Yeah, I figured I would." Anders paused, looking up at him. "That alright?"

"Of course! I just assumed you'd be at the library."

"Nah, I handed in a big paper today, next one's not due for another two weeks. My brain could use a break."

"Oh, cool."

He sat down on the couch and watched as Anders fired up the game, selecting single-player mode and losing himself in the brightly colored world on the screen. The doorbell rang and Garrett's nerves returned in a rush. He jumped off the couch and ran his hands through his hair. Suddenly he wished he'd thought to change out of his work clothes. Why hadn't that occurred to him when he got home? Well, too late now, he supposed.

"I'll um, I'll just get that then."

"Go get 'em, tiger," Anders quipped as Garrett bounded up the stairs.

It was Fenris. He offered a hesitant smile when Garrett opened the door and Garrett had to remind himself to breathe. Even dressed in a hoodie and jeans, Fenris looked amazing.

"I hope it's alright that I'm early," he said when Garrett didn't speak. "I was worried I might get lost so..."

"Oh, no, that's fine!" Garrett said hurriedly, stepping back and gesturing Fenris inside. "Welcome! I am glad you could make it. We're downstairs." He led Fenris to the basement door.

"Isabela's here already then?" Fenris sounded surprised. Had he been hoping to get some time with Garrett alone? Garrett grinned at the thought.

"Hardly," he laughed. "Early isn't really her style. It's just me and my roommate so far."

"Ah, roommate, right."

Was it his imagination, or did Fenris sound disappointed? Garrett's smile widened.

They reached the foot of the stairs to find Anders muttering at the screen. Garrett cleared his throat and Anders turned around. He shot Garrett a sheepish grin but when his eyes moved behind Garrett to where Fenris stood, they narrowed. Garrett opened his mouth to make introductions, but before he had the chance Fenris spoke up instead.

" _You!_ " It was almost a hiss.

"You have got to be kidding me, Hawke!" Anders exclaimed, dropping the controller and standing up in agitation. He pointed at Fenris. " _This_ guy?"

"I take it introductions aren't necessary," Garrett said faintly. The other two men glared at each other and he fought the urge to step between them. "So!" he said brightly, clapping his hands together to pull their attention from each other. "How do you two know each other, then?"

Belatedly he remembered that Isabela had said Fenris was a student. He guessed that was probably how they had run into each other. Anders confirmed the suspicion with his answer.

"He works at the library," he snapped. "He's had me thrown out three times!"

The complaint came out in something of a whine. Garrett's eyebrows shot up in surprise, but Fenris just rolled his eyes.

"You were disturbing the other students. Libraries are for _studying_ ," he said dryly.

"That's not what you were doing?" Garrett asked Anders. What else could he have been up to in the library? Fenris wasn't the cheeriest of people, it was true, but Garrett could hardly imagine him evicting Anders from the library for no good reason...

"The first time he organized a protest--"

"A _peaceful_ protest!" Anders interjected.

"A _loud_ protest," Fenris countered. "In the lobby. Which echoes. You could be heard all over the damned building."

"Oh Maker, Anders, you _didn't_." Garrett buried his face in his hands. "No, what am I saying? Of course you did." Anders could be extremely passionate about the causes he took up. He was easily worked into a frenzy.

"The students had a right to know--" Anders started.

Fenris cut him off.

"The students who come to the library have a right to study in  peace and _quiet_. That is their expectation when they go to the library to study in the first place!" He scowled. Garrett dropped his hands and Fenris turned to him. His face was earnest as he tried to explain. "There are rules, after all. I have to enforce them. The other two times he was debating with other patrons and their discussions got...heated."

"Of course they did," Garrett sighed. "Look, we're not in the library _now_ , and--" He was interrupted by the ringing doorbell. Not wanting to leave the two of them alone until things had calmed down a bit, he turned to his roommate. "Anders, could you?"

"Fine, whatever." Shooting one last glare at Fenris, he took the stairs three at a time.

"I am sorry," Garrett said, turning back to Fenris. "I didn't know."

"It is not your fault," Fenris said softly. A wry smile flashed across his face. "I should apologize. I am a guest in  your home, it is unbecoming to pick fights with one of the hosts."

"No, no. Not necessary. I think we were just all caught off guard. I'll know better next time--"

"Fenris! There you are! Look at you! Gorgeous as always."

Isabela glided down the steps, arms open wide, and wrapped Fenris up in a tight hug when she reached him. Fenris' eyes widened behind his glasses and his face turned a bright red. Garrett fought back a chuckle. It was nice to see Isabela throw someone else for a loop for once. Besides, Fenris blushing was _adorable_. A petite woman with short dark hair and bright green scarf around her neck followed lightly in Isabela's wake. She stood behind Isabela and looked around the basement, unsure. Anders clomped down the steps a few minutes later. He started to glare at Fenris again but was interrupted when Isabela turned and enveloped him in a hug just as tight.

"Anders! I never see you. You're always studying these days." She pinched his cheek. "You promised to take me out dancing and you never did."

While Anders flailed about trying to answer Isabela, Fenris wandered over to the couch and sat down, looking at the stack of games Garrett had assembled. Garrett turned to Isabela's companion and offered a warm smile.

"You must be Isa's roommate. I'm Hawke. Thank you for coming." He extended a hand and she took it, giving him a shaky smile.

"Oh, hello. Thank you for inviting me! I've never been to a game night before. I don't really play any video games, but Isabela says they're fun. Usually I'm just busy painting or reading, but she thought I should try something new." She bit her lip and furrowed her brow, looking as if she had forgotten something but couldn't figure out what. Then her eyes lit up and she smiled again, a genuine one this time. "I'm Merrill by the way."

"Yes, Kitten, you are! Everyone, this is Merrill. Merrill, this is Fenris and Anders. I see you've already met Hawke."

Fenris and Anders grumbled hellos and Merrill waved at them cheerfully. She continued to look around the basement, taking everything in. Her eyes widened as she saw the pile of comic books in the far corner.

"Is that the new issue of Fables? I haven't been able to find that anywhere yet! May I?"

Before Garrett could answer her, she had plopped down on the floor beside the pile of comics and started reading. Garrett glanced back at Isabela.

"Oh don't mind her. She'll come up for air eventually. At least she's out of the house."

She grinned and plopped down on the couch. Swinging her legs up to stretch out over the arm of the couch, she leaned back against Fenris. He just glanced at her and shook his head in bemusement, then went back to looking at the games.

"What's your Wi-Fi password?" Isabela pulled a laptop out of her bag. Garrett's eyebrows drew together in surprise. "My guild is running an op," she said by way of explanation.

"I could have rescheduled!"

"Oh don't be silly. I can run it from here. It is game night right? I'm gaming." She grinned at him and Garrett couldn't think of an argument for that logic.

"Free all mages," he mumbled. "All one word, with 'all' in caps."

"Thanks!" She fired up her computer and typed in the information. Then she looked up at him with an amused and horrified expression. "Wait. Free All Mages? That horrid punk band?"

"Hey!" Anders moved over to the couch. "They're my favorite band!"

"It figures _you_ would like that dreck," Fenris scowled.

"Excuse you, they're the best band on the radio."

"Hmph. My point exactly," Isabela said, rolling her eyes.

Anders' face darkened and he looked like he was gearing up to give another one of his lectures. Garrett glanced back and forth between Anders and his friends. Isabela was ignoring them all, but Fenris looked like he was biting his tongue, and Anders didn't look likely to let the matter drop. He really should do something to diffuse the situation, but his mind had gone blank. Once more, he was saved by the ringing doorbell.

"Pizza's here!" He bolted up the stairs before anyone else could say anything. Before he reached the top of the stairs, he heard Fenris finally speak.

"Mario Kart? Really?"

"Hey, it's a classic!" Anders shot back. "Bet I could beat _you_."

"You're on."

Garrett grinned and made his way to the front door. Maybe those two could take their frustrations out on each other in the game and the evening would be saved for the rest of them.

~~

[Friday is Game Night! by amaranthined](http://amaranthined.tumblr.com/post/57213139524)

~~

Three pizzas, two bags of chips, and a case of beer later, everyone seemed to have settled into a groove. Isabela was pretty deep in her op, but she hadn't checked out completely. She managed to carry on conversations with Garrett and Merrill, and to give occasional driving tips to Anders and Fenris.

Not that either of them listened to her advice. They were locked in a grudge match of epic proportions. Garrett might have been impressed if it weren't for the fact that all of Fenris' attention was focused on kicking Anders' ass rather than on hanging out with him. He did try to make occasional conversation, but Fenris was even less communicative than normal. Garrett tried offering him the wheel instead of the old controllers that he and Anders usually used, but Fenris said he preferred the old controllers too. Garrett was rather proud of himself for _not_ taking the opportunity to point out that it was something Anders and Fenris had in common.

He made a mental note to make sure that Anders would be busy the next time he invited Fenris over. He couldn't even sit next to the guy. Oh, there was space on the couch, sure. But Anders, not wanting to actually sit _next_ to Fenris, had chosen to sit on the floor in front of the empty seat and there was no way that Garrett could cram himself into it without being blatantly obvious. He settled for sitting on the arm of the couch and mentally cheering Fenris on every time he knocked Anders off the road.

He considered suggesting a different game, or that he and Merrill could jump in on the next round. But everyone seemed happy with the current arrangement, so he kept his mouth shut and just tried to go with the flow. It wasn't as if watching everyone else wasn't entertaining all on its own. Merrill had eventually made it through all of his new comics and wandered back over to the group.

"Ooooh! What a pretty blue light-sword!" She was hanging over the back of the couch, watching Isabela's game.

"Saber. It's a light _saber_ ," Anders muttered under his breath as Fenris knocked his car off the road yet again. Garrett thought about pointing out that he usually had better luck with the bikes, but kept the observation to himself.

Isabela and Merrill ignored Anders.

"Um, Isabela...?"

"Mmhmm?"

"Aren't those fellows with the blue swords the _good_ guys?"

"Yup." A feral grin spread across Isabela's face as her fingers flew across the keyboard, mouse clicking rapidly.

"Then, um, why did you just kill that one?"

"Because _I'm_ not a good guy, Kitten."

Fenris laughed loudly at that and it surprised Anders so much he ran himself off the road this time. Garrett couldn't help but join in the laughter and Anders glared at all of them. The race ended and Anders fired up the next track. Garrett's laughter turned to a groan.

The Rainbow Road.

"Oh, this should be _good_." Isabela had noticed Garrett's reaction and glanced at the screen. She typed something on her keyboard and then shut her computer. Sitting up, she patted the open spot next to her. "Come on Kitten, you'll wanna see this."

Garrett shot her a glare. Then Fenris chuckled softly and he found himself completely distracted from whatever he had been about to say. That had been a _nice_ sound. It did all sorts of pleasant things to his insides. He wondered if there was some subtle way he could convince Isabela to switch seats with him...

"Oh?" Merrill asked, full of curiosity. She glanced at the screen. "What a pretty road!"

"Pretty is hardly the right word for the Rainbow Road," Anders said haughtily. Sparing a glance for Fenris, he muttered, "You are _so_ going down."

"Not likely," Fenris replied.

The race started. Had it not been for Merrill, it would have been a tense few moments indeed. She hadn't been paying attention to the game at all up until that point, but now that she was, she seemed captivated.

"Oooh, he's going to run right into that box!"

"It's alright, Kitten, he wants to. See, it gave him those banana peels," Isabela pointed to the window that had appeared in the corner of Anders' half of the screen. "He can throw them on the track, watch."

"Why would he want to, though? They just made him go sideways...oh no! He fell off the edge!"

"You're not supposed to drive into the peels you throw," Garrett said dryly as Anders let out a steady bout of cursing. Fenris' lips twitched up at the corners. Garrett tried not to stare. He cleared his throat and glanced at Merrill. "They're meant for the other drivers to run over. So are the shells," he added in disbelief as Anders tossed one at Fenris, only to drive right into it himself.

Not that Fenris was doing much better. The two of them were so intent on knocking each other off the road that they were tied for last place.

"Oh! What a cute little squid. He's so happ--oh my."

Now it was Fenris' turn to curse. Garrett couldn't help but notice how growly his voice was. Again he felt a stirring inside himself and he had to tear his gaze away. He pointedly ignored Isabela's smirk when he happened to catch her eyes.

The race ended, with Anders finishing just ahead of Fenris. They managed not to be dead last, with two of the other racers coming in after them. Anders' gloating was short-lived, however, as a few minutes later the places for the whole cup were displayed and Fenris was shown to have come in first.

"That looked like fun," Merrill mused happily. Garrett seized the opportunity to diffuse the tension he could see building between Anders and Fenris again and jumped up from the couch.

"You should try playing then," he said happily. "We can add two more players." He grabbed the wheel and handed it to her, shooting Anders a look when he started to protest.

"Oh! Can I?" Merrill beamed and took the wheel, twisting it experimentally, a happy grin on her face. Isabela watched her with a fond smile.

"Here, you can take over for me," Fenris said, handing Isabela his controller. "My hands could use the break."

Garrett grabbed another controller and Anders set them up for a four-player game. He started out with the easiest cup for Merrill's benefit. The group played a few more cups, with Fenris quietly giving Merrill the occasional pointer. She got the hang of it pretty quickly though, and managed to come in second in their first set of races. After that, she won them all, even when Isabela yielded her controller back to Fenris and he rejoined the fray.

With everyone playing, the game was much less tense and Garrett caught even Anders enjoying himself. He stopped worrying about everyone getting along and managed to relax. It caught him by surprise when Isabela hopped up from the couch and started gathering her stuff.

"This was awesome Hawke. We should definitely do it again. Same time next week?" Garrett nodded absently and Isabela leaned over to kiss him on the cheek. "Thanks for organizing it all."

"You're going already?" Garrett looked at the clock next to the television and was surprised to see that it was almost midnight. "Well, thanks for coming." He included Merrill in that last bit, shooting her a smile.

"Thank you!" She returned in a sing-song voice. "That was so much fun." She turned to Isabela. "Do we have this one?"

"I don't think so, Kitten, but I am sure we can get it."

She laughed and grabbed Merrill's hand, pulling her towards the stairs. She stopped to give Fenris a kiss on the cheek as she passed him. Anders turned off the game and stood back, hands in his pockets, watching the women take their leave. He shot Garrett and unreadable look and then started to follow them.

"I'll show you out," he said.

"Oh good, then we can figure out when you're taking me dancing."

Anders laughed at that and shook his head. They all clomped up the stairs and Garrett heard Anders shut the basement door behind him. Silence fell and he turned around, realizing he and Fenris were alone. Suddenly nervous, he wandered over to the pile of comics that Merrill had read and began straightening them.

"I, um," he cleared his throat. "I suppose you need to get going, too, huh?"

"I can stay for a bit longer," a slight hesitation, "if that's alright, I mean."

"Oh! Yes, yeah, it's--" He ran a hand through his hair and turned around, knowing he was grinning far too widely. "That's great. Yeah."

Fenris nodded and the corners of his lips quirked up again, but he didn't say anything. Desperate to fill the silence, Garrett sought a topic for conversation.

"So, you work in the library then? At the university?" He sat on the couch and Fenris sat down next to him.

"I do. I'm working on my masters in library sciences." A shrug and a small smile. "It seemed a good place to seek a job."

"Huh," Garrett tilted his head and turned toward Fenris. "You don't really seem like the librarian type." Unbidden, a series of images flashed through his mind pairing the concept of Fenris and "sexy librarians" together. He blushed and tried to push them away. Suddenly the basement was _very_ warm.

"Oh?" Fenris arched one eyebrow. He didn't seem offended though, just curious.

"Well, yeah," Garrett waved a hand aimlessly through the air. "You know, you're just so..." he blushed again, "...cool," he finished lamely.

"You think I'm cool?" Fenris was smiling now, obviously amused by Garrett's flailing.

"Well yeah. You play video games and you take karate classes...you know. Maker, I'm doing this horribly, aren't I?"

"Oh, I don't know about that," Fenris said softly.

He reached out and took one of Garrett's hands in both of his. He looked down at it, tracing one of the lines on Garrett's palm. Garrett's breath caught in his throat. After a few moments, Fenris spoke again, quietly, so that Garrett had to move closer to hear him.

"I love libraries," he explained. "Without them, I probably wouldn't have ever learned to read. My childhood was not...good." He continued staring at Garrett's hand, avoiding his eyes. Shrugging uncomfortably, he went on. "But I managed to put myself through school anyway, scholarships and whatnot. When it came time to consider what to study, I couldn't imagine doing anything else." He looked up and smiled. "And so I came to Kirkwall, and I made friends like you and Isabela. I don't think anyone has ever called me cool before."

"I can't believe that," Garrett answered, smiling back. "Maybe they just didn't say it when you were listening."

"Maybe," Fenris laughed, sounding unconvinced. He scooted a little closer to Garrett, linking the fingers of one his hands through Garrett's. "So, same time next week, then?"

"Definitely."

"I shall look forward to it."

Garrett started to answer but Fenris cut him off, leaning in to kiss him. Just a gentle press of his lips against Garrett's. He pulled back and licked his bottom lip. Garrett's eyes traced the movement.

"But perhaps," Fenris said after a moment, "we might do something before then. Just the two of us? I work tomorrow night, but Sunday perhaps? After your shift?"

"Maker, yes," Garrett breathed. "Dinner?"

"Dinner," Fenris agreed. He leaned in for another kiss and Garrett moved forward to meet him eagerly. "And now," Fenris sighed as he pulled back, "I am afraid I really should be going."

Garrett walked him out, trading another kiss with him at the front door. This one lasted longer, full of heat and promise. Sunday would not come soon enough.

 _Maker bless game night_ , he thought with a foolish grin as he watched Fenris drive away. 

**Author's Note:**

> Also, please check out the other story written for this piece! "Your Move" by zilla1199 can be found here: http://archiveofourown.org/works/911191


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